Big river new year

[heathcote]

Familey had all converged for the festive season in quake damaged Christchurch NZ, having had a surfit of Christmas good cheer a more active New Year was proposed with a day tramp for the young and young at heart and a spot of fly fishing for the more sedate of us. The Rakia River area catered nicely for both and at the gorge bridge we farewelled the walkers agreeing to meet up at 4pm.
The river had come down from the flood level of 240 cumecs and was now at 170ish with about 18 inches of visability .... just fishable. We had 9ft 6wts and a choice of floating or intermediate lines; I chose floating line an 8 ft leader and a weighted black kabari fly (A very successful Japanese tenkara fly) to fish the margins and eddies. Soon I was apparent we were fishing where fish couldn't hold in the heavy water down below the bridge so moved up above to what is normally a long slack. Takes came thick and fast, so fast in fact we missed them all. Thinking caps and heads together came up with small fish and a change to smaller flies, mine a size 16 3mm tungsten bead head hare and copper. Bingo! A good move and soon a flurry of small and I mean small fish 3 to 6 inches were coming to hand. It was fast approaching 3.30 and time to go when from the middle of the slack I had a solid pull, Bugger! I've caught the bottom, then it moved bumping and boreing along the bottom and my next thought was a big eel. At that point it must have realised it was in serious trouble and took off in fine style down stream and accross. Running accross the large cobbles was not the excersize for a well fed 74 year old on New years day but it payed off and the fish turned and was now safely up stream fighting current and me. A few more runs and my son netted the fish, a lovely 5 1/2 lb brown cock fish in lovely condition. Celibratory whisky all round and an excellent start to fishing 2012 agreed by all. Next week back to solitary stalking with my new tenkara rod on my favourite small spring creek ............. lovely thought!

[Lone Wulff]

What a great way to start off the New Year. Congratulations on bringing it to hand.

[ofuros]

Those ageing legs can still mooove when they need too ! :smile:
Hope the celibratory nip was a good one.....well done.

[Satoshi]

Seems you have made excellent start for 2012.
I know you have eels in your rivers, but do you sometimes actually catch eels on flies?
Also, I'm interested in how you play big trout in your country with a tenkara rod, which doesn't have a reel.

Satoshi

[heathcote]

Hi Satoshi,
yes on the odd occasion eels are caught on flies, usually a well sunken nymph or wooly bugger fished slow and on the bottom. On one west coast lake it is not unknown for eels to feed actively on drowned flies in the surface film.
Tenkara and larger fish rules: "1" Choose your stream VERY carefully, clear banks to follow a fish if neccessary and narrow enough for rod and line to reach the far bank. "2" Use 6 to 8lb tippet and try hit and hold tactics if a sighted fish is larger than normally targeted. (I normally fish with a 4lb tippet with a single overhand knot just above the fly as a safegard break off point targeting fish to 8/14in long) Often a fish with the pull from directly overhead will tend to circle rather than run. "3" Always sight fish and try not to let very large fish take the kabari! Accidental hook-ups can and do happen and if you are out gunned point the tip at the fish and wait for the crack off which will almost always be at the hook eye. I avoided a situation 2 days ago where an exremely large brown trout lunged out from under the bank and attacked a small bird feeding on a grass head. The weight of the bird made the grass tip touch the water, the bird fell in the water and sad to say the trout followed and got it some five or six meters down stream. This happened right in front of me as I was about to cast to a smaller fish up stream and I would estimate the fish to have been 65/75cm in length.

[Satoshi]

Wow!!
You avoid targeting a large trout?!!!!
I thought people always wanted to hook larger trout! I wish I could fish such a place.
I want to see a trout gets a bird. That must have been a great show, ...sorry for the bird though.

[Apache Trout]

Satoshi, watch out what you wish for, those trout might come after you. ;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6WV6lCcU4o

[heathcote]

Hi Satoshi,
I guess we are spoilt here in New Zealand, there are some very large trout in many differeny rivers throughout the country however I have reached that stage in life where enjoyment is what matters most. Someone said that anglers pass through three stages:
(1) to catch as many fish as possible
(2) to catch the largest fish possible
(3) to fish for pure enjoyment
My last trip out I saw many fish most of which saw me first; the highlight was to watch a fish rise up to intercept my dry fly in the gin clear water only to turn away at the last split second as it saw me a bare 3 meters away. A day with no fish, but a fresh brewed cup of tea on the banks of a lovely spring creek in mid summer takes a lot of beating. It's all about being there!

[Satoshi]

Apache Trout,
Wow!!! :laugh::blink: His finger must taste like mayfly.

heathcote,
For me, the second stage actually came first. After a long period of time, now I'm stepping into the first stage, although I still have a foot on the second (which might mean I have become greedier!?). I'm not sure if the time comes in my life when I can be totally content without catching fish. I do agree with you for one thing, however. Being on the banks of a lovely spring creek in mid summer is better than almost anything other than being on the banks of a lovely spring creek in mid summer and catching trout.:wink: